The Westmead Institute is home to more than 45 research groups concerned with a wide range of human diseases and conditions. Key to our success is the way we connect researchers, clinicians and supporters.

While medical research receives support from governments, some worthwhile projects miss out on receiving grants. Your generosity can help us bridge this gap and translate laboratory discoveries into clinical practice where they can give new hope.

The Westmead Institute is home to more than 45 research groups concerned with a wide range of human diseases and conditions. Key to our success is the way we connect researchers, clinicians and supporters.

While medical research receives support from governments, some worthwhile projects miss out on receiving grants. Your generosity can help us bridge this gap and translate laboratory discoveries into clinical practice where they can give new hope.

Dr Eddy KizanaSenior Lecturer; Medicine, Westmead Clinical School

Phone+61 2 9845 6795

Fax+61 2 9846 8323

Dr Kizana is Cardiologist at Westmead Hospital and Senior Lecturer, Sydney Medical School. He is Group Leader and Faculty at WIMR. He was awarded his MBBS (Hons) (1995) and PhD (2006) from The University of Sydney. He completed his cardiology training before embarking on an NHF-funded PhD in gene transfer technology with Ian Alexander at the CMRI.

He undertook post-doctoral research training at the Johns Hopkins University with Eduardo Marbán and was awarded the prestigious Michel Mirowski, MD Fellowship from the Heart Rhythm Society. During his tenure as post doc Dr Kizana published high impact work in Circulation, Circulation Research and PNAS.

In addition to developing gene therapy strategies targeting cardiac arrhythmias, he was also collaboratively involved with molecular and stem cell-based therapies for heart failure and hypertrophy. Dr Kizana divides his time between clinical duties and research.

To dovetail his clinical and research interests, he has established a research group at WIMR whose focus is to develop novel gene therapy approaches for common cardiac arrhythmias. Through local and international collaborative efforts his group has developed capabilities for producing viral vectors for gene transfer in animal models of cardiovascular disease.

The group employs high-end molecular techniques involving viral vector-based gene and regulatory RNA transfer to somatic cells. Both cell culture and in-vivo animal models of conduction and arrhythmias are utilised.

Dr Kizana's research finds ways of using genes or genetic material to replace cardiac devices to treat and prevent sudden death from heart rhythm problems.

He aims to understand the molecular basis of cardiac rhythm and conduction, and to uncover new molecular targets and approaches for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias.

He is are using gene therapy in research models to alter the heart to positively affect arrhythmia – to restore conduction following a heart attack in order to prevent sudden death and to turn heart cells into pacemaker cells with the capacity to beat on their own.

His basic laboratory research is combined with clinical research conducted through the Department of Cardiology at Westmead Hospital.